Democratic Insiders Say Bernie Sanders Is Winning The Economic Argument

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:53 pm

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A survey of Democratic operatives revealed that Bernie Sanders’ clear economic message is winning out over Hillary Clinton’s laundry list of economic proposals.

Politico talked to early state strategists, operatives, and activist about the economy and a majority agreed that Sanders was winning on message:

Among Democratic insiders surveyed this week in the early states, 60 percent said Sanders is winning the economic argument — an assessment with which more than three-quarters of Republicans agreed.

“Bernie Sanders is saying what Democrats want to hear — that there is a cause to their economic uncertainty (Wall Street and the billionaires), and that the remedy is a revolution,” said one New Hampshire Democrat, who, like all insiders, completed the survey anonymously. “Unless Hillary can re-pivot her messaging on the economic insecurity so many of us (even her supporters) feel, Bernie will continue to win the argument and dominate the conversation when it comes to economic issues.”

“Clinton’s message is a laundry list of center-left specific proposals, with little universal theme,” added another New Hampshire Democrat. “Sanders is the opposite — he focuses on a universal theme of a rigged system of crooked capitalism and campaign financing to explain why people should feel as angry as they do.”

In politics, the simplest message is often the winner. Bernie Sanders has a simple and clear economic message. He has a variety of phrases from suggesting that enough is enough to arguing that the country needs a political revolution to make the economy and the government work for ordinary Americans instead of millionaires and billionaires.

Former Sec. of State Clinton has chosen a different route. She doesn’t have a unifying theme to her message. Clinton puts out detailed policy proposals about how she would deal with specific problems.

Hillary Clinton is going for the heads of Democratic voters while Bernie Sanders is making a play for their hearts. Reports are circulating that the Clintons are very unhappy with their campaign operation and will be shaking up the staff after New Hampshire. The Clinton campaign is struggling to find a central theme. Bernie Sanders has his theme nailed down, which is why he is generating so much excitement among his supporters.

Messages win elections, and the Sanders messaging is capturing the hearts of Democrats in the early stages of the 2016 primary.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association